Day Four in Burgundy: Anne Gros, Hudelot-Noellat, Dujac and Drouhin

Tasting with Anne Gros, my 2nd time to the pristine cellars in the heart of Vosne. I discovered that since 2009 Anne had also had a small negociant business, making NSG Damodes, Savigny-les-Beaune Lavieres and another Bourgogne. I saw these in barrel, but not in bottle, but they are in very small production and not exported to the US. Anne says they are under the "Anne Gros" label vs the "Domaine Anne Gros" label, just to make things a little more complicated.

• 2012 Domaine Anne Gros Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Fresh red cherry, very bright, very forward. Incredibly elegant for its level. Note this might not represent the final assemblage given the varied age of oak barrels in the final wine.

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• 2012 Domaine Anne Gros Bourgogne

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Slightly reductive aromas in barrel. Black and red cherry with good baking spice in background. Very textured start, power then emerges on end. Great for its level today. Average 40 year old vines. Note this might not be completely representative of the final assemblage given varied levels of oak age in that final blend.

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• 2012 Domaine Anne Gros Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d'Orveau

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Lots of red fruit, very bright, fresh and lacy. Mostly strawberry to me, elegant to start, more powerful and hearty on finish. A good showing vs prior vintages base don my personal experience.
  
  Note 1: this might not be completely representative of the final wine because of varied age of new oak in that complete assemblage. Note 2: half the vineyard is being replanted, so the profile will be changing from a few years back through the next several vintages.

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• 2012 Domaine Anne Gros Echezeaux Les Loachausses

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Every year this wine seems to get better as Anne Gros becomes increasingly familiar with the vineyard and its nuances. 2012 is an exceptional performance. All red fruit on nose and palate with great brightness and concentration. Lots of baking spice as well, but with great savory character. Incredibly well textured and elegant, new oak already in balance, with great persistence. Too early to say for certain, but this might be Anne Gros' first Echezeaux I would say is close in quality to her Clos Vougeot.

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• 2012 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Darker colored fruit, mostly black cherry and blackberry, perhaps some blueberry. Firm and very powerful this is a CV meant to age with a dense, meaty character. Perhaps the first vintage that Anne Gros' (newer) Echezeaux cuvee is at a comparable quality to her classic CV for me.

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• 2012 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. A wine I adore almost every vintage, particularly finding it an approachable Richebourg in its infancy, 2012 certainly doesn't disappoint. While also slightly reductive to start from barrel, intense red and black cherry emerge quickly with allspice and soy notes on both nose and palate. Very fresh flavors to start; with expanding, increasing weight through finish.

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• 2012 Domaine Anne Gros Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Cuvée Marine

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Slightly tough to fairly assess given battonage yesterday. Ripe apple aromas and flavors with some lemon hints on palate. Very elegant and precise with good energy.

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Tasting with Charles van Canneyt, who took charge in 2008. For 2012 everything was produced with approximately 20% whole cluster, a new experiment at Hudelot-Noellat.

• 2012 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Bourgogne

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Barrel tasting at domaine, all old barrels. From 18 parcels in front of Chambolle-Musigny. Slightly reductive today, no surprise. Big, powerful fruit for its level with a firm style with good spice background notes. Very good potential for its level.

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• 2012 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Red cherry and strawberry aromas and flavors with classic Chambolle elegance and texture with great minerality and fruit purity. Long for its level. This is often a personal favorite from this producer, coming from multiple parcels across Chambolle (11?) that often provides the quintessential expression for this village's wine, and 2012 is no exception.

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• 2012 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Still in ML, so tough to fully assess through that percolation process. Black, dense and chewy character comes through.

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• 2012 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine, this barrel seems to have completed ML. Very big red and black cherry aromas and flavors. big fruit, modest spice for now, texturally not fully developed yet. Firm finish with power. This will a Suchots to cellar. I don't recall if this was from a new or neutral barrel, but the variety of aged barrels means this tasting note won't be fully representative of the final assemblage.

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• 2012 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Clos Vougeot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Very close to finishing ML. Meaty, dense and slightly backward, giving this a powerful and brooding character. Good background spice along with robust, mostly black fruit. Very good potential here.

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• 2012 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. More black than red fruit today with impressive sweet and savory spice already emerging. Alluring and very impressive already at this point with good minerality, satiny textures already showing definition, but everything seeming in harmony. Excellent potential.

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• 2012 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Romanée St. Vivant

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Tougher to assess with ML near its conclusion, but clearly showing lots of mostly black fruit with excellent Asian five spice aromas. Dense blackberry and black cherry flavors with more moderate spice start. Then long and very firm finish with spice re-emerging. Not quite at the level of the Richebourg, but close.

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• 2012 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Richebourg

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. A little more complete with ML vs the RSV so easier to assess. sensational perfumed aromas with red cherry, strawberry, huge savory spice, to me this really takes full advantage of the use of 20% whole cluster. Enormous spice support start-to-finish with powerful fruit and great concentration throughout. Incredible textures already. 96-97 point potential for me this morning.

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• 2011 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Black cherry and plum aromas with subtle baking spice. Bigger and more robust on palate. Starts accessible and more elegant, finished more firm and powerful. This will be an interesting wine to try young and experience over the course of an evening.

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• 2011 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Big spice start with plenty of rd fruit aromas. Both red and black fruit flavors follow with modest spice. Firm for now, this seems like it will need a decade in the cellar, somewhat surprising for the 2011 vintage.

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• 2011 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Clos Vougeot

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Starts with slightly backward black fruit aromas and hints of background spice. Flavors of large scaled black and red fruit with lots of power and firm, tannic structure from start-to-finish. Great density and weight. Very good 92-93 point potential here, but don't hurry and open one soon.

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Tasted with Diana (Snowden) Seysses after a brief "hello" with Jeremy. Mostly tasted the 2011s which were bottled in the spring. These were all very good but many seemed to show some slight form of bottle shock, so I will keep most of the notes "private" until I get to taste several of these wines next year after release.

• 2012 Dujac Fils et Père Morey-Saint-Denis

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Mostly black fruit with very good density for its level, while also showing the delicacy and charm of the Dujac style. Good textures and mouth feel, certainly good overall.

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• 2012 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Barrel tasting at domaine. Barely started ML at this stage! Lots of density and concentration, impossible to assess much else.

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• 2010 Domaine Dujac Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants Blanc 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Ripe peach to start with some citrus elements in nice support. Good power and ripe fruit flavors.

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• 2004 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. This was popped-and-poured after discussing ladybugs and other 2004 issues with red Burgundy. Pale red fruit aromas with nice spice. Fresh aromatics, more austere on palate from start through middle, with some earthy hints, then 2004's unmistakable character coming through on end.

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• 1996 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Alluring floral start with great spice and black cherry, boysenberry and some red cherry aromas. Incredible spice flavors with great, fresh red fruit, beautifully supported and lengthened by great structure and textures. Persistent and great from start through long finish.

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My first visit and extensive tasting in Drouhin's historic cellars, a sensational experience.

• 2011 Joseph Drouhin / Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Intensely floral start with a bit of clove and ginger. Green apple, lemon, lime flavors. Pristine, direct and very lean styled Chablis. 91-92 point potential for me. A great start to the tasting.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Fat fruit to start. showing ripe apple and spice hints. Nutty background aromatic notes, again emerging i middle on palate. Moderate length and intensity. 91-92 point potential for me.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Large scaled aromatic start with ripe apple and pear and some tropical hints. Intense fruit on palate with lots of spice and some backward character. Got better through the afternoon, definitely best at the very end. 92-93 point potential for me. Certainly needs cellar time.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Corton-Charlemagne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Fat and buttery with lots of ripe, forward fruit. 30% new oak. Lots of buttered popcorn flavors, with nice sweetness and smokiness that mask a sneaky firmness and structure. 91-92 point potential for me.

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• 2011 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Apple and lemon on nose and palate. Very elegant weightlessness, well supported with lots of acidity, minerality, then power on finish. Plenty of spice from middle to finish, still new oak still slightly pronounced for now, picking up intensity toward end. A very good performance.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Slightly reductive. Dense black fruit aromas and flavors. Rustic in an interesting way, with lots of power and good balance.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Also fairly reductive, making it very tough to fairly assess today.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Grèves

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Black and red cherry aromas with braised meat spice. Dense and chewy on palate with moderate length, power and intensity.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. I've enjoyed this wine a great deal from prior vintages and 2011 is another success. From 6-7 different plots. Red cherry and strawberry. Velvet textures with a silky elegance, then some sneaky power at end. Very classically Chambolle to me. Alluring start-to-finish. Very good already now but alos cellar-worthy. 91-92 point potential for me.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Corton-Bressandes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. All black fruit aromas to start with moderate intensity. Similar flavor profile, also with moderate spice. Good balance, surprisingly approachable for a young Corton.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Slightly reductive to start, needed a few minutes to appreciate, and certainly at its best at the end of the afternoon tasting. Red and black cherry aromas with meaty, gamy background hints. Dried herb with black pepper also on nose. Similar on palate with lots of elegant textures. Very impressive 93-94 point potential for me.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Red fruit with moderate spice. Seemingly shut down for now compared with most of the other 2011s toasted today. Or brooding. Impossible to fairly assess.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Lots of red cherry with moderate spice aromas and floral hints. Similar on palate with slightly more spice and a restrained elegance with great minerality and acidity. Long and precise with great mouth feel. 93-95 point potential for me today.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Musigny

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Reticent aromatic start with black fruit, espresso. Subdued red fruit as well to start on palate with some fresh herbs and licorice. Keeps expanding toward long finish. Much more understated today vs Amoureuses, but incredible concentration on finish makes me think this will be really special, but might need 15 years.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Bonnes Mares

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. Also showing enough sulfur to require time to open. Red and black fruit aromas with espresso and dark chocolate as well as modest spice. Very good restraint and balance for such a young Bonnes Mares, but lots of sneaky firmness in the background. 91-93 point potential for me today.

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• 2011 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  Tasting at domaine. A rare Beze that combines wine both from Chambertin (40%) and Chambertin-Clos de Beze (60%). Black fruit, hints of sauvage, good spice aromas. Very intriguing and nuanced already, close to accessible. Moderate length and power, good intensity throughout. Definitely needs cellar time, but this might be a good young-drinking beze, perhaps as early as 2020. 92-93 point potential for me today.

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